HALF THE WORLD | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Jul 21, 2024 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Jul 21, 2024 6:00 pm
14th & V
Half the World: A Century of Communist Women’s Writing compiles for the first time over one hundred years of writing from Communist women in and around the U.S. Communist Party (CPUSA). Included are classics such as Claudia Jones’ “An End to the Neglect…” and Louise Thompson Patterson’s “Toward a Brighter Dawn,” along with pieces that have yet to be widely republished, such as Mary Inman’s controversial “In Woman’s Defense” and essays from Angela Davis’ vice-presidential campaign.
Serving as both a theoretical reader and a documentary history, Half the World seeks to repopularize the work of Communist women whose innovative work has been overlooked for far too long. The collection ranges from the early work of women like Margaret Cowl, Anna Damon, and Grace Campbell, to later leaders like Charlene Mitchell, Clara Colón, and Elisabeth Armstrong. Bennett Shoop’s Half the World tells a story of radical women whose determination built and led a century of working-class struggles.
Editor and Historian Bennett Shoop is joining us on the Busboys stage to share the many stories of radical women whose determination built and led a century of working-class struggles from their book HALF THE WORLD. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Shoop will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of HALF THE WORLD will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Bennett Shoop is the co-director of the Claudia Jones School for Political Education and a historian of feminism, LGBTQ+ liberation and the U.S. Left.
Sep 16, 2026 3:00 pm
